Picture or sign frame.



P. G. DAVISON. PIGTURE 0R SIGN FRAME.

v APPLICATION FILED DEC. 23, 1912.

1,064,450. Patented June 10, 1913.

I I I I FATENT QFMQEQ FRANK G. DAVISON, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

PICTURE OR SIGN FRAME.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK G. DAVISON, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Mas achusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in'Picture or Sign Frames, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to sheet metal frames of the type commonly known as picture frames, although my present invention is designed more especially for holding sheet metal signs.

The object of the invention is to provide a cheap and strong metal frame all portions of which excepting the fastenings, such as screws, are made of sheet metal stampings or rolled strips, and a special object being to provide such a frame that is particularly adapted for outdoor use such as the holding of telephone signs.

The frame is so constructed that no mitering whatever is required, the marginal members for the sides, top and bottom being stamped or rolled strips which may be cut to any length according to the size of frame that it is intended to make, the adjacent ends of the marginal members being connected by integral angular corner pieces, the corners of the frame being additionally stayed by strips which have upset intermediate portions to form sockets or pockets for the corners of the plate that is framed. By the term plate I mean to include either a metal plate or a glass plate with perhaps sheets of card board behind it, or any other flat sheet, the edges of which are supported by the edges of the inner flanges of the frame, the corners of the plate fitting in the corners of the stay strips.

The invention consists in the improvements which I shall now proceed to describe and claim.

Of the accompanying drawings: Figure l is a front elevation of a frame embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a rear elevation of one of the corners, the other three corners being of course duplicates in construction. Figs. 3 and 4E represent respectively sections on lines 33 and H of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 2 but illustrating a modified form of stay strip.

Similar reference characters indicate the same parts in all the figures.

The marginal members 10, when small, may be separate stampings of sheet metal.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed December 23, 1912.

Patented June 10, 1%13.

Serial No. 788,166.

If desired, however, they may be cut from a long strip of sheet metal which is rolled so as to be transversely concave or convex so as to present two r-earwardly projecting flanges, the outer one of which will project rearwardly farther than the inner one for the purpose hereinafter described. Seamless angular corner pieces 11 which are preferably stampings and which are all alike regardless of the sizes of the frame to be made, are provided with holes 12 to enable the entire frame to be secured to a wall or any other suitable location by means of suitable attaching screws passed through said holes 12. The two ends of each corner piece 11 are at an angle to each other. and

said ends overlap the adjacent ends of the which serve to clamp the members together as best shown in Fig. 4. Corner stays or strips 15 have their ends secured by the same screws and nuts, said stays or strips 15 extending across the corners 16 of the plate or sheet which is framed, the said stay strips 15 having their intermediate portions upset as at 17 to form pockets or sockets for the plate 16, the longitudinal edges of which are supported by the edges of the inner flanges of the members 10. The outer flanges of the members 10 are wider so that their edges, as best shown at 18 in Figs. 3 and 4, extend rearwardly to a greater distance than the inner edges of the members of the frame so as to permit said inner edges to support the plate 16 and also permit the outer edges 18 to bear closely against a wall to exclude moisture from behind the frame and its sign or picture. As shown in Fig. 4, the outer flanges of the corner pieces 11 extend correspondingly rearwardly, or in other words, to substantially the same distance as the edges 18 of the members 10, so as to prevent moisture from gaining access at the corners to the space behind the frame.

The marginal members 10 are shown as curved transversely, but obviously they may be otherwise shaped, this being merely a matter of appearance or design. This transverse concave or convex form not only increases the strength of the strips and results in the presentation of a better front appearance, but also provides flanges the inner ones of which bear against the framed plate while the outer edges will bear against the wall closely to exclude moisture.

I do not limit myself to a specific form of the stay strip 15 having the pocket or socket 17 shown in Fig. 2, wherein said strip is shown as straight, as the said strip may be angular as shown at 15 in Fig. 5, the intermediate portion which is upset to form a socket or pocket being indicated at 17.

I claim A sheet metal frame comprising marginal members and connecting corner pieces overlapping said marginal members, the latter having flanges embracing edge portions of the marginal members, stay strips extending across the corners of the space within said frame and having offset portions intermediate their ends, said offset portions being j located in a plane spaced from the plane of the mner edges of the margmal members a distance substantially equal to the thickness of a plate mounted in said frame,

whereby said plate may be confined between said inner edges and offset portions, and

'fastenings passing through the ends of said FRANK G. DAVISON.

lVitnesses A. XV. HARmsoN, P. W. PEZZE'ITI.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

